São Paulo – Finding translators, researchers and professors who work with Brazilian literature abroad, studying the operation and action of these people and promoting their work. This is the mission of the Conexões – Mapeamento da Literatura Brasileira No Exterior (Connections – Mapping Brazilian Literature Abroad), of the Itaú Cultural Institute, established in late 2008, and that has already mapped 192 of these professionals in 25 countries.
The project includes details on professionals who answered an extensive questionnaire regarding what authors they work with, what other areas of Brazilian culture they are interested in, the kind of work they develop regarding national literature and whether they are connected to research institutes, among other topics.
The United States is the nation in which the largest number of people and institutions dealing with Brazilian literature, but the project aims to find translators, researchers and professors who work on the area all around the world, including the Arab nations.
"I believe that Lebanon is the country that presents the greatest chance (of having these professionals) as immigration from there to Brazil was very strong,” said Claudiney Ferreira, the manager of the Audiovisual and Literature Nucleus at Itaú Cultural, who is also the idealizer of Conexões. "I believe it is the Arab nation in which we may have most people working with Brazilian literature,” he pointed out. For the time being, professionals have already been found in Algeria, Morocco and in Lebanon itself, though operating outside their countries of origin.
Among the figures discovered in the project is that Brazilian writer Milton Hatoum, of Arab origin, is the second living author most worked by foreigners, only behind Chico Buarque. Heading the list of authors is Machado de Assis.
According to Ferreira, one of the main difficulties in finding these professionals in the Arab world is language. "We have noticed that some translators and researchers know Brazilian literature through the English version,” he pointed out. Problems in internet connections have also been hindering the contact with these people. However, the project has also received support to find these professionals of national literature among the Arabs, including promotion by the Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Centre, an institute inaugurated in April this year, in the city of Beirut.
The project has a blog, providing much of the information collected in the research. Published exclusively in Portuguese, Ferreira said he is already considering translating the site into English and Spanish. With the figures obtained in the questionnaire, Conexões established a network that puts foreign professionals in contact with each other and with Brazilian authors.
Ever since the beginning of the project, there have already been meetings between both groups in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Ouro Preto and Chicago, in the United States. In October, there should be another event, this time in Spain. For 2012, meetings are scheduled in France and Germany. The events, always promoted in Portuguese, include partnerships with local institutions and are open to the public.
Ferreira said that many of the foreigners researched became interested in Brazilian literature as a way to know the country. "There are also older people who started with personal or political relations [with Brazil] and became interested in culture and literature,” he revealed.
Among the difficulties found by these professionals is the fact that bilingual Portuguese dictionaries are, most of the times, edited using Portuguese from Portugal. "This may distort translation. It would be important for the translator to have dictionaries from Brazilian Portuguese to their language,” pointed out Ferreira.
Apart from the blog, the search for foreigners connected to Brazilian literature is also through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, as well as sending messages to people recommended by the writers or translators themselves.
Apart from natural people, the project is also starting to record institutions with which the foreigners are connected, among them the studies and research centre. The list already includes 120 institutions.
Foreigners working with Brazilian literature, or those interested in recommending a foreign professional operating in the area, may get into contact with Conexões on e-mails contato@conexoesitaucultural.org.br; claudiney.ferreira@itaucultural.org.br or through link http://conexoesitaucultural.org.br/?page_id=2144.
*Translated by Mark Ament
